Fold-away shelf for refrigerators or the like



mug L 1950 A. R. CLARK FOLD-AWAY SHELF FOR REFRIGERATORS OR THE LIKEFiled April 4, 1947 INVENTOR.

Patented Aug. 1, 1950 FOLD-AWAY SHELF FOR REFRIGERATORS OR THE LIKE AdnaR. Clark,.Evansville, Ind., assignor to International Harvester Company,a corporation of New Jersey Application April 4, 1947, Serial No.739,446

4 Claims.

This invention relates to a refrigerator cabinet construction and moreparticularly to shelf means for the cabinet to provide for a moreflexible storage capacity.

In the conventional household refrigerator cabinet there is provided afood storage compartment. An evaporator depends from the upper wall ofthe cabinet and may be positioned either centrally or at one side of theupper portion of the compartment. The space below the evaporator isordinarily divided by a plurality of transverse shelves. If theevaporator is located centrally in the top of the compartment, storagespace is provided at both sides thereof; if the evaporator is positionedat one side, there is only one open storage space. In either event, theupper storage space is used for the purpose of storing tall articlessuch as bottles, the lower transverse shelves being used for the storageof smaller articles, such as dishes, jars, etc.

In many types of refrigerators the storage space alongside theevaporator is provided withshelves, which shelves may be used for thefurther storage of small articles, or which may be removed for thestorage of tall articles.

The present invention pertains particularly to an improved shelfarrangement for location in the storage space associated with theevaporatorand has for its principal object the provision of aconveniently foldable shelf unit, the aim of the invention being toprovide for the use of the shelves to store small articles, or forfolding the shelves against a wall of the cabinet in the event that itis desired to store tall articles. It is an important object of theinvention to provide the shelf unit in a plurality of sections. eitherone or both of which may be optionally arranged in carrying position orin folded position. The invention seeks as another object to providesuch a shelf means that is conveniently arranged so that it need not beentirely removed from the food storage compartment. Another object ofthe invention is to provide a shelf construction that is simple andeconomical to manufacture and one that may be readily adapted torefrigerators of conventional types.

The foregoing and other desirable objects and features of the inventionwill become apparent as the disclosure is more fully made in thefollowing detailed description and accompanying sheet of drawings, inwhich:

Fig. 1 is a front view of one type of household refrigerator, the frontdoor being removed to illustrate the interior of the cabinet:

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one of the 2 shelves arranged inhorizontal or carrying posi- Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing theshelf in folded position; i

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary enlarged view showing the slotted end of one ofthe shelf-carrying members; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional View taken substantially onthe line 5-5 of Fig. 2 and illustrating the relationship between theshelf and one of the shelf-carrying members.

The disclosure herein is of a preferred embodiment of the invention andillustrates principles of the invention peculiar to this embodiment. Thedisclosure should therefore be taken as illustrative and not limiting.

The refrigerator shown in Fig. 1 includes a cabinet Ill having oppositeside walls, a top wall, a bottom wall, and a back wall, all of whichcoinbine to provide a food storage compartment II. This compartment isopen at itsfront end and is delineated by a door opening l2. The door isnot shown in the drawing. The upper portion of the food storagecompartment H includes an evaporator i3. The portion of the compartmentbelow the evaporator is provided with a plurality of transverse shelvesH. In the present illustration the evaporator is located at one side ofthe upper portion of the compartment H, thus providing a food storagespace ii at one side thereof. It will be understood, of course. that theevaporator could be located at the other sideof the refrigerator. Likewie, the evaporator couldbe located centrally of the upper portion of thecompartment II. in. which case food storage space would be provided atboth sides thereof. The invention does not depend upon any particularlocation of the evaporator.

In the arrangement above set forth, or in any comparative arrangement,the shelves H in the compartment 1 I serve ordinarily to receive smallarticles to be refrigerated. The space I! will accommodate tallerarticles. In many cases. however, it is desired to increase the capacityof the compartment II for accommodating smaller articles. In the presentillustration this result is accomplished by the provision of anauxiliary shelf unit comprising a pair of shelf sections it and II. Inthe description to follow, reference will be had to only the shelfsection l6, and it will be understood that the section I! is identicalthereto in all respects except as to certain features that will bepointed out independently.

As best shown in Figs. 2 and 3, a shelf support I8 is carried on therear wall of the food storage compartment H and may be secured theretoby any suitable securing means cooperating with openings IS in thesupport Ill. The support is preferably of a one piece metal constructionhaving its opposite ends bent to provide ears 2!! and having a pair ofspaced intermediate portions folded to provide ears 2i. Each of the ears20 is apertured and receives a transverse pivot pin 22 on each of whichis pivoted a shelf carrying member in the form of a strap 23. Each ofthe ears 2i is notched at 2B for a purpose to presently appear.

The shelf section is relatively long and narrow and is carried betweenarallel supporting straps 23. The shelf section includes a rectangularframe formed preferably of a wire 25 bent to shape and having at thefront end thereof a metal angle bar 26. A plurality of relativelyclosely spaced wires 21 run longitudinally of the shelf l8 and arewelded or otherwise rigidly secured at their opposite ends to the anglemember 25 and the one side of the frame provided by the wire 25. Theshelf structure which is described may be replaced by any other suitablestructure.

An intermediate portion of the shelf 56 is provided with a transverserod 28 rigidly secured as by welding or otherwise to the long sides ofthe frame 25 and to the wires 21. This rod 18 headed as at 29 at each ofits opposite ends and the ends pass through keyhole slots 30 formedrespectively in the free ends of the straps 23. The construction is suchthat the shelf I may have slight longitudinal movement with respect tothe supporting straps 23, The rear transverse end of the shelf l6, asprovided by one side of the frame 25, fits the notches 24 in the ears 2ion the support I8 when the shelf is in horizontal or carrying position(Fig. 2). Further, when the shelf is in this position, the outer ends ofthe transverse carrying rod 28 rest in the enlarged ends of the keyholeslots 30.

The forward or outer portion of the shelf I8 is additionally supportedon the adjacent wall of the compartment 8 i. In the present disclosurethis support takes the form of a stud 3! which projects laterally fromthe wall to support a longitudinal side of the frame 25 of the shelf IS.The frame 25 includes rigidly thereon a depending pin or lug 32. Thistype of shelf support is generally conventional and insofar as thespecific nature thereof is concerned forms no part of the presentinvention. The arrangement is such that the shelf l6 may be liftedslightly so that the pin 32 is freed from the stud 3!, after which theshelf l6 may be moved slightly forwardly, the ends of the rod 28traveling forwardly in the slots 30 in the straps 23. This movement ofthe shelf frees the inner end thereof from the notches 24 in the ears 2|on the support l8. The rear portion of the shelf is then allowed to tiltdownwardly, being carried and guided in that direction by the straps 23.The forward or outer end of the shelf moves upwardly and the entirestructure folds flat against the rear wall of the compartment l l.

The shelf section I! and the manner of supporting and folding the sameare identical to the corresponding characteristics of the shelf IS, withthe exception that the shelf 11, instead of being supported on a stud 3|on the proximate wall of the cabinet, is supported on a lug 33 thatprojects from the proximate wall of the evaporator ll. The function ofthe lug 33 corresponds to that of the stud ii.

The construction which is described provides for the arrangement ofeither or both shelf sections II and i1 in carrying position or infolded position, inasmuch as the sections are independently supported.When one section is folded away and the other is disposed horizontally,the auxiliary food storage space l5 will accommodate tall articles atone side thereof. When both shelves are folded away, the space 15 isfurther increased. The construction is such as to lend itself readily tothe desires of the user of the refrigerator and will be found tocontribute materially .to the flexibility of storage of articles to berefrigerated.

It should be understood that the foregoing description and illustrationpertain to only a preferred embodiment of the invention and thatnumerous modifications and alterations may be made therein withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in theappended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A fold-away shelf construction for a refrigerator cabinet or the likehaving side walls and a rear wall, comprising: a support; means forconnecting the support to the rear wall; means-on the support providinga pair of horizontally spaced apart pivot ears and at least two notchedlocking ears positioned intermediate the spaced apart pivot ears; a pairof parallel straps; means including pivots alined on a horizontal axisconnecting the rear end of each strap member respectively to the pivotears, the front ends of the straps being free; a generally rectangular,foldaway shelf positioned between the straps and capable of assumingeither a horizontal or a vertical position, said shelf having opposedside edges and opposed end edges, the side edges lying closelyproximate, respectively, to the straps; means on each side edge pivotingsaid edge on a horizontal axis to the free end of the proximate strap;means on the rear end edge of the shelf releasably engageable with theaforesaid notched looking ear for supporting one end of the shelf whenthe shelf is in horizontal position; and means on one of the side wallsremote from the strap pivot means for supporting the front portion ofthe shelf when the shelf in horizontal position.

2. A shelf construction as set forth in claim 1, further characterizedin that: the support is a one-piece member having the pivot ears bentout at opposite ends thereof and the locking ear bent out at apoi-rtion. there intermediate the ears.

A shelf construction as set forth in claim 1, further characterized inthat: the means pivoting the side edges of the shelf to the strapsinclude pin and connections whereby the shelf, when in horizontalposition, may have movement relative to the support so that the means onthe rear edge thereof may be released from the notched locking ear.

4. A fold-away shelf construction for a refrigerator cabinet or the likehaving side walls and a wall, comprising: supporting means the rearwall; a pair of parallel straps; means including pivots alined ahorizontal axis connecting the rear end of each strap memberrespectively to the supporting means, the front ends of the straps beingfree; a fold-away shelf positioned between the straps and capable ofassuming either a horizontal or a vertical position, said. shelf havingopposed side edges and 8 opposed end edges, the side edges lying closelyproximate, respectively, to the straps; means on each side edge pivotingsaid edge on a horizontal axis to the free end of the proximate strap;look-- ing means including at least two notched ears adapted forafllxment to the rear wall; means on the rear end edge of the shelfreleasably en-' gageable with the locking means for supporting one endof the shelf when the shelf is in horizontal position; and means on oneof the side walls remote from the strap pivot means for supporting thefront portion of the shelf when the shelf is in horizontal position.

ADNA R. CLARK.

8 nmanncns omen The following references are of record in the tile ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,402,929 Herpst Jan. 10, 19221,576,784 Planett Mar. 23, 1925 1,888,253 Adler Nov. 22, 1932 102,199,981 Bell May 7, 1940 2,219,975 Bentz Oct. 29, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTSNumber Country Date 613,468 Germany Nov. 6, 1932 459,72 Great BritainJan. 13, 1937

